Another WSSM cartridge

by Technical Advisor Brendan Atkinson
 

First it was the .223 WSSM, followed by the .243 WSSM. It has been announced that Winchester Ammo (in partnership with Browning and Winchester Firearms) are planning to introduce another version - a .25

There are some big claims being made for this new cartridge, such as the suggestion that it can equal the ballistics of the venerable 25/06, while using 14 per cent less powder. Whether or not this is true, one fact that cannot be disputed is that it can be achieved in a short action rifle.

Fans of the .25 calibre would be aware that the quarterbore can be used for serious varmint hunting with lighter weight bullets - it can also be used with suitable bullets for hunting larger game such as feral pigs and some deer species. Winchester Ammo will be releasing three factory loadings for the .25 WSSM. In the Supreme range, there will be an 85-grain loading with a muzzle velocity of 3470fps. Sighting in at 200 yards gives a useful trajectory a mere one-inch high at 100 yards and 5.2 inches low at 300 yards. There is also a 115-grain loading, which has a muzzle velocity of 3060fps. With this combination, a 200-yard zero gives 1.4 inches high at 100 yards and 6.4 inches low at 300 yards. For those requiring a heavier bullet, Winchester offers the 120-grain PSP in the Super - X series. This bullet has a muzzle velocity of 2990fps. For comparison, a 200-yard zero gives 1.6 high at 100 yards and 7.4 inches low at 300 yards.

There is no doubt that handloaders should be able to exceed the claims of the factory loads, as long as this is done sensibly and safely.

The WSSM series has had its detractors - concerns have been raised in some forums that these short and fat cartridges are a nightmare to feed reliably through the box magazines on most rifles. Rest assured that Winchester and Browning are aware of this and much effort has gone into seeking a solution. Serious varmint hunters could not care less, as they only use handloads and seat bullets out to touch the lands where they would not feed from a normal magazine at the best of times. Apart from which, they ‘single load’.

For the 25 WSSM cartridge, new versions of the Winchester Model 70 and the Browning A-Bolt have been produced. The overall cartridge length is a mere 2.36 inches, and so the action length has been reduced by half an inch on the previous models. The Model 70 range, so modified, will include the Coyote and Stealth, the Featherweight and the Super and Ultimate Shadow models. For the Browning, the .25 WSSM will be available in both Hunter and Classic Hunter, Stainless, Varmint and the Medallion models.

We have yet to see factory rifles in any of the WSSM calibres in Australian gun shops, although we did review a custom-built .223 WSSM (December Australian Shooter). By the time one reads this, that situation should have changed. We look forward to procuring on a test rifle in due course.